Some of these plays are biblical. Some are religious. Some are “secular,” but about virtues, morals or character growth. Most are comedies and can be produced with minimal resources.
These shows are suitable for churches, schools, or any group looking for plays compatible with a Christian worldview.
Babushka’s Basket
Exhausted by “holiday season” commercialism? Looking for a more heartfelt and rewarding alternative to staging yet another Christmas pageant?
BABUSHKA’S BASKET is an uplifting one-act drama inspired by the cherished Russian folk tale about a peasant woman whose grief-inspired compulsiveness prevents her from joining the Wise Men on their journey to meet the Christ Child.
This emotionally honest and ultimately heart-healing play offers a challenging yet rewarding role for a middle-aged actress, with an inter-generational supporting cast. The simple set and minimal production requirements make BABUSHKA’S BASKET ideal for performance on a budget, in a variety of settings.
With a hint of humor and large helpings of hope, audiences will be moved and inspired by BABUSHKA’S BASKET, a beloved yet non-traditional Christmas redemption story.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy today. Published by Pioneer Drama Service.
The Beggar and the Wolf
— The townsfolk of Gubbio are howling mad when a lone wolf stalks their medieval village.
Based on the popular 13th-century legend of St. Francis and the wolf of Gubbio, this easy-to-stage, single-set, 45-minute comedy with a flexible cast of sixteen, is loaded with outrageous puns, slapstick humor, and quirky characters.
When all else fails, Mayor Gasbaggio fetches Francesco, a renowned holy beggar from the neighboring village of Assisi, who is reputed to have a wondrous way with animals.
Audiences will sit, stay, and roll over with laughter as they witness the hilarious and heart-warming antics of The Beggar and the Wolf.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy today. Published by Pioneer Drama Service.
The Bethlehem Shepherd
A Christmas Monologue
It’s Christmas night, and Shep Davidson tells everyone he can about the extraordinary events he’s witnessed, from the census of Davidsons in Bethlehem to watching his flock by night, to a visitation by an angel, and finding the promised newborn Messiah lying in a feeding trough.
This short, simple, heartfelt monologue is laced with humor, wisdom, and a couple of Bible references.
Purchase of the script includes unlimited performance rights for one year. CLICK HERE to purchase The Bethlehem Shepherd.
The Death and Life of Everyman
–Moldy Medieval Morality Play turns out to be contemporary, funny and relevant! Who’d have thought it?
This modern and comedic adaptation of the classic allegory concerns a man who learns he must meet his Maker, and then does! As his doom approaches, Everyman discovers that family, friends, and fortune cannot accompany him and that even strength, beauty, intellect, and emotion are no match for the Grim Reaper; yet faith, hope, and charity prevail.
This timeless tale is especially intended for groups ready to move beyond religious skits and homily dramas to do something more challenging, less preachy, and more theatrical. And did we mention funny? This boldly theatrical show takes on a serious subject in a playful environment.
With a flexible cast of 7-17 and minimal set requirements, this 80-minute show is ideal for those with a limited budget or who wish to tour.
Buy and stage this script! You’re eventually going to die anyway, but maybe this show will help you crack a smile along the way.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy of The Death and Life of Everyman today. Published by Eldridge Christian Plays and Musicals.
Fair Game
Learning about choosing priorities and life values has never been so much fun.
Three teenagers are lured into malevolent Professor Carny Barker’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Traveling Career Fair. There they are tempted with futures of glamor, riches, and power by warped and wicked counterfeit pretenders from the military, medical, legal, and business professions. The teens, with the oddball assistance of a janitor, weigh what they’re willing to trade off to achieve “success.”
This 45-minute modern morality play is loaded with slapstick comedy, wry satire, and a flexible ensemble cast of over-the-top comical characters.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy of FAIR GAME today! Published by Eldridge Plays and Musicals.
The Greatest Prequel Ever Told
If you’ve got a “seen one, seen them all” mindset when it comes to Christmas pageants, you’ll be surprised and delighted by this upbeat performance. A handful of adults, teens and/or capable elementary-aged kids may carry the show’s larger lines while countless toddlers and preschoolers may play dancing angels, gamboling sheep and other cute-and-adorable, just-lead-me-around roles. Features snappy dialogue with no lines too long, enough of the biblical Nativity characters and events to satisfy even the staunchest of traditionalists (including the prophecies) and a deft touch of humor throughout. Only minimal rehearsal required. This pageant also functions as a carol sing-along, inviting the whole congregation to celebrate the birth of Jesus through their vocal participation.
CLICK HERE to purchase a perusal copy or place an order.
Heaven Sent (Tobit)
— The Book of Tobit is the most free-wheeling, fun-loving, supernatural fantasy adventure and romantic comedy in the entire Apocrypha!
As an answer to prayer, the angel Raphael helps a hopelessly naive lad fight a demon, marry a damsel in distress, and heal a father’s blindness. Found in many Bibles, Tobit is one of the greatest literary hits from the period between the Old and New Testaments. Surprisingly true to the original, Heaven Sent is filled with contemporary sensibilities, clever dialogue, sight gags, and slapstick humor.
Heaven Sent is an easy-to-stage full-length comedy that has a simple set, easy costumes, and delightful roles for four men and three women, plus an active comic ensemble. If your church or drama ministry is ready to step up to the next level, Heaven Sent will get you there, and provide an entertaining, edifying, theatrical experience for your audiences.
CLICK HERE to purchase a reading copy of Heaven Sent today! Available in digital or PAPERBACK.
Imperfections
In this provocative fifteen-minute comedic play set in the near future, Chip and Cissy make an appointment to genetically engineer their first child at Build a Baby Corp. After selecting traits such as hair and eye color, the couple learns that they must choose an “imperfection,” a flaw in their test tube baby which will create a challenge to overcome and so facilitate character development.
Humor, a sprinkling of real science, flexible casting and no-hassle production requirements create a compelling vehicle for an intriguing ethical dilemma. If you had to select a genetic anomaly for your child, what would YOU choose? Cast of 1M, 1F, 1 either, simple furniture set, contemporary costumes. (Amazon-Kindle)
Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker without toe shoes!
No dancing or choreography is required in this swashbuckling comedy that leaps back to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original tale and spins comic gold. The short and silly children’s musical adaptation of the classic holiday fantasy combines Tchaikovsky’s famous score with cute and clever lyrics, arranged and simplified for young voices by Bill Francoeur.
On Christmas Eve, the mysterious Drosselmeier presents brave Marie with an unusual Nutcracker. That night she is awakened by a band of renegade mice, led by the evil Mouse King. The Nutcracker, joined by a Ballerina, Feline Legation, and Mistress Clara, battle the rodents. Marie defeats the Mouse King by hitting him with her slipper. The heroes travel to the Land of Toys to rescue Princess Pirlipat from the wicked Mouse Queen and her hilarious helpers. The Nutcracker and the princess are reunited, and the curse is broken. Marie and her toys return home in triumph.
NUTCRACKER is a budget-friendly musical with a cast of 14, plus chorus. There’s even a music CD if your resources don’t include live accompaniment. Your cast and audiences will dance with unchoreographed delight when they experience the jolly joy of NUTCRACKER, the musical.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy of NUTCRACKER today. Published by Pioneer Drama Service.
O Holy Knight
Celebrate Christmas in a Castle!
In this mirthful, medieval, 60-minute Christmas comedy, a blizzard has confined a motley mix of commoners, merchants, and courtiers together in the castle’s banquet hall. The ladies-in-waiting are becoming inpatient, Christendom’s oldest squire has the hiccups, and Jabber the Jester’s outrageous antics aren’t helping. To pass the time, and to cheer Lady Dolores, whose husband is being held for ransom in a foreign land, they agree to perform a Nativity pageant, using whatever props and costumes they have on hand.
With a simple set, extremely flexible (and potentially large) cast of colorful characters, loads of slapstick humor and clever dialogue, this genuinely touching inter-generational holiday play even has an inspiring Christmas miracle to warm everyone’s heart. The “pageant within the play” is uproariously inept, yet sincere. The show is easy-to-cast and stage, and is suitable for both church and community theatre production.
O HOLY KNIGHT is sure to become a holiday season favorite for your audiences, whether they be princes or peasants.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy today. Published by Pioneer Drama Service.
Parable Plays
Ten of my ten-minute “Parable Plays” are now available at Christian Publishers. Reading copies are available for $3.99, with Performance Pack prices varying, depending on the number of scripts required.
In these sketches, I have taken popular parables of Jesus and re-imagined them with contemporary settings. Many of them are comedies. All are easy to stage. Only a couple are overtly religious, but all bear a striking resemblance to the plot and themes of the original parables. They are suitable for performance or classroom study at churches and schools. The scripts all have previews available online, and include the original Bible passage and suggested discussion questions.
Here’s the line-up. Click on each title to link to the product page at Christian Publishers.
CALLED OR CULLED (Parable of the Sheep and the Goats) At a job interview, Billy boasts incessantly about his ambition, trophies, and karaoke skills, while Eunice shares about organizing a food drive, her family, and singing at the county jail. Guess who got the job?
DRAGNET (Parable of Casting the Net into the Sea) “And the winner is…?” The lure of an Alaskan cruise prize exposes the shady pasts of several sweepstakes entrants.
FINED (Parable of the Two Debtors) One library patron owes a 35¢ fine while the other, whose textbooks were water damaged in a flood, owes $350. When the librarian cancels both fines, guess who is more grateful?
HAMPERED (Parable of the Two Sons) Mom asks Nicole and Matt to do their laundry. Nicole agrees but doesn’t do it, while Matt says he won’t but ends up doing it anyway—and finds a gift card inside the dryer.
L3 (Parable of the Leaven) Which talk show guest is more successful: Rich Lucre, shamelessly hawking his book Sharing Is for Losers, or an unassuming military mom who accidentally creates an Internet sensation out of love for her daughter?
THE NEW DEAL (Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus) Uppity Heelwell chastises Stonebroke and his mangy mutt for stepping foot and paw on his ritzy property when both men suddenly die. Stonebroke gets pampered at Paradise Cove, while Heelwell ends up at the Hot Spot Hostel, where it’s hot—and hostile.
THE SHEPHERDESS (Parable of the Lost Sheep) While it’s great that 99 lambs are safe, Mary won’t rest until Agnes is brought back into the fold.
THE SHINDIG (Parable of the Prodigal Son) Cowboy Clem, who lived large and recklessly, returns to the ranch penniless and afraid. His hardworking brother questions why there’s a celebration for irresponsible Clem’s homecoming.
SQUATTERS (Parable of the Tenants) Two employees at a luxurious hotel ditch their responsibilities and lounge in a deluxe suite in the middle of their shift. When the boss’s son comes to investigate, they send him out to inspect the balcony railing with disastrous results.
VERDICT (Parable of the Persistent Widow) The Wild West is the backdrop for this courtroom drama. Widow Mite testifies about showing mercy to struggling customers at the dry goods store, but Magreedy wants her to pay!
STAND-ALONE PARABLE PLAYS
Available on Amazon-Kindle for $4.99, including production rights.
Some of my Parable Plays are biblical or contemporary adaptations of Bible stories. Some are religious. Some are “secular” like this one, but about virtues, morals, or character growth. Most are comedies and can be produced with minimal resources. These scripts are suitable for churches, schools, or any group looking for plays compatible with a Christian worldview.
The Ascension
In this very short comedic church-appropriate skit for elementary and middle-school kids, Jesus says goodbye to his disciples, but they don’t fully grasp the big picture. Jesus ascends into Heaven, and two Angel Narrators send the confused disciples home to wait for the Holy Spirit. Based on Acts 4:1-11. Royalty-free.
Bullied
In this short sketch, a club for bullied students takes a sudden turn. Royalty free.
In this short, two-person sketch, a hoarder misplaces the paperwork for renewing her rental agreement and must find it before the new landlord arrives. Based on the Parable of the Lost Coin, Luke 15:8-10. Royalty free.
Peacemaker
In the Old West, a lovestruck schoolboy visits a mercantile store to purchase a gun in order to kill his rival and impress a pretty girl. The storekeep’s surprisingly eager endorsement of the plan causes the youth to reconsider the consequences of his actions.
This breezy seven-minute sketch contains deeper themes and a canny perspective on the consequences of violence. Royalty free.
Pilgrim’s Progress
— John Bunyan’s rolling in his grave…with laughter!
In this hilarious, action-packed and contemporary adaptation of English literature’s first great allegorical fantasy, the thrilling adventure of Christian’s perilous journey to heaven is punctuated by uproarious characters and situations.
Favorite scenes from the original classic, though wacky and warped, keep the age-old story fresh and funny. This ensemble comedy has non-stop laughs and dozens of delightful roles, both small and large. It’s perfect for a flexible, intergenerational cast of actors with varying levels of experience. With easy costume accessories, simple hand props and no set requirements, the 90-minute comedy may be presented on a shoestring budget.
Whether or not your audiences know and love the monumental masterpiece of Christian literature, they will rejoice in this upbeat, silly-yet-sublime, faith-filled stage version, then run home to read the original Pilgrim’s Progress with fresh insight.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy of Pilgrim’s Progress today. Published by StagePlays and all digital platforms. Also IN PAPERBACK!
Saints for the Seasons
(Four, 20-minute monologues for church or theatrical use)
Put the “holy” back in several popular but misunderstood “holidays.”
Four great Christians with famous names but less familiar legacies step out of history to share the inspiring, often funny, and historically accurate stories of their lives of heroic faith, sacrifice and service in the name of Jesus.
Nicholas of Myra (December 6) — Popularly referred to as Saint Nick, this early 4th century champion of biblical orthodoxy and prodigal generosity sets the record straight on how different he is from “the other guy”.
Valentine of Rome (February 14) — A defender of Christian marriage and sacrificial love, Valentine gladly faces martyrdom during the Roman persecution of the early church by Emperor Claudius “the Cruel” Gothicus.
Patrick of Ireland (March 17) — An immature teenager becomes a slave, escapes captivity, learns to love his enemies, and answers God’s call to return to the dreaded Emerald Isle. He dedicates his new life to preaching the Good News, engages in spiritual warfare, baptizes tens of thousands, and plants hundreds of churches.
Francis of Assisi (October 4) – Nature lover and friend to animals, Francis abandons wealth, comfort and worldly glory for a life of holy poverty, simplicity, brotherhood, and evangelism, inadvertently creating the religious order of Franciscans and inventing the Nativity play.
SAINTS FOR THE SEASONS will foster a deeper understanding of the Christian role models behind four oft-neglected or misunderstood holidays while entertaining and edify the people of your church. For inspiration, humor, biblical truths, and encouragement in the faith mark your calendars and celebrate these Saints for the Seasons.
CLICK HERE to purchase your reading copy of Saints for the Seasons today. Published by Christian Publishers.
The Scavenger Hunt
— When teen angels are involved, heaven CAN’T wait!
Teen angels Maisie and Tori are sent on an action-packed, time-traveling scavenger hunt by Big Momma Angel. It’s a side-splitting adventure of biblical proportions as they meet Abraham and Isaac, just in time for a hair-raising sacrifice. Watch them get caught between a rock and a hard place while David battles Goliath.
Two favorite Bible stories are given a new spin when seen through the eyes of these totally awesome teen angels.
Extremely simple production requirements make this an easy-to-stage, affordable, 30-minute comedy that is ideal for youth groups in touring or even classroom performance.
CLICK HERE to purchase your digital reading copy today. Also available in PAPERBACK.
The Scenebook of Values and Virtues
IDEAL FOR YOUTH MINISTRY! This entertaining collection of 24 character-driven scenes will guide teens to make positive choices in their lives while developing their acting skills. Each selection presents a realistic scenario that explores multiple character-building values, such as acceptance, compassion, fairness, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, honesty, loyalty, perseverance, and self-discipline. Each scene is then followed by student-tested discussion questions that can spark conversation about values, personal responsibility, and relationships. Delve into a diverse assortment of thoughtful topics presented in an engaging, lighthearted fashion. Scenes range from 5 to 10 minutes in length with cast sizes of 2 to 7. Use this book in any group setting to encourage meaningful, values-based dialogue. There’s no other scene book like this to help your students develop their own moral compass.
CLICK HERE to purchase a copy today!
The Seven Year Switch
The love at first sight shared by the trickster Jacob and lovely Rachel is one of the most romantic stories in the Bible, but their courtship was filled with surprises and challenges. The Seven Year Switch is about the “morning after,” when Jacob awakens in his marriage bed expecting to find Rachel but discovers her father has pulled a fast one. No wilting damsel in distress, the wily Rachel engineers a suitable payback.
Freely adapted from Genesis 29, The Seven Year Switch is a funny and forthright biblical one-act comedy that is easy to cast and stage with minimal resources.
Purchase of the script includes unlimited performance rights for one year. CLICK HERE to purchase The Seven Year Switch.
The Very Best Christmas Card Ever
2M, 2F, 1 either, plus optional ensemble
Simple Interior Set
About 20 Minutes (plus carols)
In this easy-to-stage, family-friendly Christmas play/carol sing-along/pageant, a family shops for a Christmas card to send to an overseas orphan they have sponsored. The manager shows them cards related to Santa, Dickens, Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men and finally commemorating the Birth of Jesus. The family decides to sacrifice their holiday plans and visit the child in person. This 20-minute (plus carols) comedy may also be used to support a church or community’s overseas orphan-sponsoring organization. Add a choir of Sunday School children or adults, or even an Ensemble to create adorable and hilarious “Living Christmas Card” tableaus.
CLICK HERE to purchase your digital reading copy today. Available in digital and PAPERBACK.